AnnaGG

Hello. My name's Anna and I live in Switzerland with my husband Peter. I speak Italian, English and German. I enjoy cooking and baking, preparing all my meals from scratch. I don't believe in packed stuff. I am an avid reader. I own an extensive library with 6000+ real books (paperbacks and hardcovers, that is) which are my pride and joy. And yes, I also own a very old eBook reader but nothing beats a real book, in my humble opinion. Very much into biographies (recently into a Coco Chanel kick...), I adore classics (Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, the adorable Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain) and get tutti-frutti with light historical romantic novels (a few of my fave authors are Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, Mary Balogh, Lorraine Heath, Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn, Liz Carlyle, Suzanne Enoch....). Basically, I need to read as much as I need my food. Not an expert by any stretch of the imagination but I relax with crochet and knitting. I especially enjoy crocheting baskets and cosies. Amigurumi is my next project. I like some TV and when I am in the mood, I watch quality dramas, back to back. I admit I like "Come Dine With Me" and any food-related programs, especially if on the BBC. I don't practise any sports but a daily 90-minutes brisk walk to keep me fit. I play Chess, Backgammon and love, love, love cards especially Rummy and with the Italian deck I enjoy playing briscola, scopa & rubamazzo.

I love musicals and appreciate some Opera as well (Rigoletto.... sigh!). On a lighter note, I enjoy 60's Oldies and 80's Brit Pop. When I take my walks, I need something to keep me up so AC/DC rock my world. I have seen them live only 5 times but are amongst my most treasured memories. David Garrett inspires me. I know, I know... he is handsome but, oh my, his cover of "Master of Puppets" ** swoon ** I don't care much for the current artists. I don't get all the excitement for hip hop and similar noises. Apologies to those who appreciate the style - it simply doesn't do a thing for me.

Going to the cinema is another interest. I can't pick a favourite movie - too many to mention, actually, and of different genres. Lately, I went to see "Frozen" - 12 times. I have a problem and that it called Disney. To cut a long story short, I adore animation movies. My heart is equally divided between Disney and the art of Miyazaki. Anime are my not-so-secret indulgence. Back to movies with real people in, well... I like rom-coms but find that the classics (again...) never let you down. Anything is special with Jack Lemmon, Cary Grant, Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Lizzie (Taylor), Richard Burton... starring in. On a more contemporary view, Michael Fassbender, Hugh Jackman and Gerard Butler are fine actors. Nope, I haven't forgotten Johnny Depp but he is something else entirely, isn't he?

Don't watch much of it but when I do, I enjoy documentaries and food shows. Awww, I also like sit-coms and lately hubby and I re-watched "Vicious" - oh.my.God! Who doesn't like Ian and Derek on the same stage??? ;) I collect tv stuff on DVD though. I like retro shows like "Bewitched", "I love Lucy", "Father Brown", "I dream of Jeanie", etc... This reminds me that I need to complete an order on Amazon... YouTube.... yes, I watch stuff on there too. Random makeup tutorials and anything junk journaling related.

...... To end this little intro, I gotta say that I like swaps but feel a bit overwhelmed by the many possibilities offered here. At the moment, I only swap friendship booklets (FBs) and slams (questions and sign ifs) but that doesn't mean that I will not try other stuff. I am learning to junk journal and would like to try ATCs. I love rubberstamps and acrylics so, perhaps I can do something. Hand-drawing is definitely not my forte but I used to do some mail art...

I might update this profile in the times to come but for now, that pretty much sums up my boring self. Cheers! :)

Friendship Books
Slams (preferably questions, sign ifs and choose ones)
washi tape samples
pretty stationery (sheets only, no full pads)

Anime (esp. the genres : Comedy [shonen], Love & Romance [shojo], a few Historicals) and all the fantastic masterpieces created by Miyazaki
anything Victorian-themed
steampunk art
watercolours
the Regency Era
crosswords
fashion (... but I'm not a victim!)
baby monkeys
bear cubs
bunnies
owls
baking books (small leaflets are fine too – in Italiano, English, Deutsch & Français)
bread recipes (cut out from magazines or even photocopied/scanned from vintage books)
jam labels (yes, the ones they stick on the jar, LOL!)
postcards (free, ad, handmade and cute welcome but NO viewcards as I stopped collecting them long ago)
handmade envelopes (I don’t mind recycling paper, really)
rubber stamps (wood mounted, foam, clingy)
old keys
washi tape
crochet (incl. amigurumi) & knitting patterns
quotes and proverbs
fountain pens
glittery pens
ATC cards
tea (I like all sorts really even if my very faves are black teas, especially Darjeeling and Lapsang Souchong which I drink to accompany savoury snacks. For brekkie, when not having a cappuccino, I enjoy a cup or two of English Breakfast. Fave brand is the one by Fortnum & Mason)
coffee (instant is okay but the best is the Italian brand Lavazza brewed with the moka machine my parents gave me :) )
silver jewellery
daisies (dried-up, stamped images, themed notepads, you name it…)
Santoro's Gorjuss design
ephemera
zentangling

Food of any kind (cookies, candies, chewing gums, etc...) as I only swap properly sealed teabags
Makeup / hand creams / body lotions and washes (I only use organic products and am happy with what I find in my country)
Religious and Politics related stuff
Glitters
Viewcards
Post-It notes (unless kawaii)

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Not being able to participate to swaps at the moment due to family reasons. (November 2014). I'll be back as soon as possible.